The Railroad Bridge at High Bridge Kentucky Part 1

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My last blog covered the Dancing Pavilion at High Bridge Kentucky but that was putting the cart before the horse. Early in the 1850s, the Lexington & Danville Railroad needed a bridge on the route from Cincinnati to Chattanooga to cross the Kentucky River south of the point where the Dix River merged with the Kentucky River. John Roebling was retained for the project and a suspenision bridge, similar to the one he was then building over the Niagara river, was designed with huge towers on each side of the river gorge. The stone towers and anchorage were completed and many materials were delivered but railroad ran out of money and the Civil War began. Roebling went on to build the Brooklyn Bridge.
After the war, the Cincinnati & Southern Railroad took on the project and hired Charles Shaler Smith and his Baltimore Bridge Company but his design was a cantilever bridge which used the towers from the Roebling design. Completed in 1877, it was the first cantilever bridge in North America AND the highest AND longest cantilever bridge in the world at 286 feet tall and 1138 feet long. Almost instant fame followed and with reliable rail transportation from the big cities of Cincinnati Ohio and Lexington Kentucky, tourists came to High Bridge to see the world record bridge. A Park was built, which included the dance pavilion highlighted in my last blog, and famous people including William Jennings Bryan and Billy Sunday spoke there.
But wait, there is much more history here and I will continue the story in my next blog. This postcard is available in my Kentucky listings and thousands more United States views are available on my website at Moody's Postcards.

Dancing Pavilion in High Bridge Kentucky

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One of the favorite past times and source of entertainment in the early 1900s was dancing and many large dance halls and dancing pavilions sprang up to accommodate this activity. The postcard of the day is a circa 1915 Detroit Publishing effort showing the open air Dancing Pavilion at High Bridge Park in High Bridge Kentucky. Local and traveling bands would provide the music while the locals filled the dance floor. If you look in the lower right hand corner of the image and just to the right of the bench, you will see a huge barrel on a stand labeled "Ice Water". Since the 1910 census shows a population of 150 for High Bridge Kentucky, you might wonder how such a small place could support this facility. The secret lies with the high bridge located there and that fascinating store will be the subject of my next blog. This postcard is available in my Kentucky listings and you can see all of my U. S. views on my website at Moody's Postcards.

1920s Downtown View of Warrensburg Missouri

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The roaring 1920s were an exciting time for most people with the war behind them and prosperity booming. The postcard below presents a snapshot of that time in downtown Warrensburg Missouri, a town of little less than 4,800 people, with a young man in the street in his nickers and all the ladies in their hats. The horse drawn transportation has given away to automobile and shoppers are out in force. On the right are Lobrans and Russell Brothers stores. This card was produced by The Albertype Company in Brooklyn New York and has excellent detail for a printed card. This postcard is available in the Missouri listings and you can see all of my United States views on Moody's Postcards.

Freemasonry & Masonic Homes

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The Masonic Fraternity was the first and largest fraternity of men in the world. The basic structure of Freemasonry began in the British Isles and came to the United States in 1733. The first lodge chartered in the Colonies was in Boston. Today Lodges can be found in over 55 countries and have a membership over several million with over 13,000 lodges in the United States with a membership over 2.5 million. Generally speaking, Masons are a group of men who want to live their lives in a moral and righteous way. Every DAY, Masons contribute in excess of 1.4 million dollars to various charities including Shriner's Hospitals for Cripple Children, 3 Shriner's Burn Centers and over 100 special clinics that help children with language disorders and learning disabilities. George Washington, John Wayne, Norman Vincent Peale, Buzz Aldrin and my father were all members of this group. It is no wonder that postcards of Masonic Homes, Lodges, Shrine Temples and Scottish Rite Cathedrals are very popular postcards and collected by both members and non members.
The postcard for today is a beautiful view of the Masonic Home in Wichita Kansas with the Chapel next door. I love these beautiful old stone buildings that appear so majestic and permanent. This postcard was produced in 1913 and it would surprise me if if it is not still standing and serving a lofty purpose. You can view of this postcard in the Kansas section of Moody's Postcards.

Here is another early view of the Masonic Temple in downtown Savannah Georgia. You can view this postcard on Moody's Postcards.

Santa Catalina Island Country Club & Avalon

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The Catalina Island wildfires have been in the news recently and I thought it would be a good time to feature a couple of postcards from this island paradise. The fire burned 4,750 acres, mostly in the island's interior, and was 100% contained as of today. According to their website, the year round population is around 3,500 and in the summer and on weekends, the population can approach 10,000. The island is located 22 miles off the coast of Southern California from Los Angeles. The island even has a buffalo herd, left over from one of the many movies filmed there, that has been there since 1924. The first postcard is a circa 1915 aerial view of the Catalina Country Club showing the golf course and tennis courts. This postcard is available in the California section of my website.

The second postcard is a 1903 bird's eye view of Avalon and the harbor with the Hotel Metropole in the center of postcard. This postcard is also available on Moody's Postcards.

Big Four Railroad Depot in Terre Haute Indiana

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The postcard of the day is a circa 1912 view of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis (The Big Four) beautiful and unusual railroad depot. The depot is a combination of stone and brick with a massive turret and that white spot in the window at the base of the turret appears to be a ticket seller talking to a customer. A bonus with this track side view is an engine taking on water and a man with a white flag at the edge of the railroad crossing to direct traffic. This postcard is available in theIndiana Postcards section of Moody's Postcard website.

1909 Studebaker Vehicle Works South Bend IN

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The postcard of the day is a circa 1909 bird's eye view of the Studebaker Vehicle Works in South Bend Indiana which boasts production of 125,000 vehicles every year and included wagons, carriages and automobiles. In the bottom left corner is the corporate office and to the right is the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company where the wagons and carriages were made. In front of that building is the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad depot. The last red brick building on the top left is the Studebaker Automobile Company behind that is one of the three lumber yards shown along the top of the postcard. A larger image is available in the Indiana Postcards section of the Moody's Postcards website.